§ 19-11-100.Short title
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 3. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act · Part 1. General Provisions · Last amended 2013 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-100
Plain-English Summary
This section gives Article 3 its name: the “Uniform Interstate Family Support Act,” usually shortened to UIFSA. The name matters because UIFSA is a uniform act, and § 19-11-190 requires that, in applying and construing it, consideration be given to the need for uniformity with the other states that enact it. When a Georgia case involves a parent, child or order in another state or a foreign country, UIFSA supplies the rules for which court can act and how orders move between states.
UIFSA replaced the older Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act in Article 2. Under § 19-11-40.1, petitions filed and proceedings begun on or after January 1, 1998, are governed by Article 3. The article was updated in 2013, and § 19-11-190.1 says it applies to proceedings begun on or after July 1, 2013, to establish a support order or determine parentage, or to register, recognize, enforce or modify a prior support order, determination or agreement, whenever issued or entered.
The article is organized in parts. It opens with definitions (§ 19-11-101), Georgia’s tribunals (§ 19-11-102) and general rules, then covers jurisdiction over nonresidents (§ 19-11-110 and following), civil procedures, establishing support, income withholding orders from another state (§ 19-11-150), registration for enforcement and modification (§ 19-11-160 and following), proceedings under the Hague support convention (§ 19-11-180 and following), and interstate rendition (§ 19-11-185).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is UIFSA in Georgia?
The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, the name this section gives to Article 3 of Chapter 11. It governs support cases that cross state or national lines — establishing, enforcing and modifying support orders and determining parentage when the parties or orders are in different places.
Did UIFSA replace URESA in Georgia?
Yes, for new cases. Under § 19-11-40.1, no new petition may be filed or proceeding begun under the older Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act on or after January 1, 1998, and petitions filed or proceedings begun on or after that date are governed by Article 3, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act.
Does Georgia’s UIFSA apply to old support orders?
Yes. Under § 19-11-190.1, the article applies to proceedings begun on or after July 1, 2013, to register, recognize, enforce or modify a prior support order, determination or agreement, “whenever issued or entered.” What matters is when the proceeding begins, not when the order was made.
Does UIFSA cover international child support cases?
Where do I find the definitions used in Georgia’s UIFSA?
In § 19-11-101, the section right after this one. It defines terms such as child, home state, obligee, obligor, support order, tribunal, issuing state and responding state. Section 19-11-102 then names Georgia’s tribunals and its support enforcement agency. Reading those two sections first makes the rest of the article easier to follow.
Amendment History
Laws 1997, p. 1613, § 33; Laws 2013, Act 224, eff. July 1, 2013.